Glance Inside of The DBT Deck

Tips from the Author

The DBT Deck includes 6 tips from author Lane Pederson. These 6 tips will help your clients and yourself get the most use out of these cards and exercises.

Dialectics

Dialectics relate to the synthesis of opposites. Instead of thinking in all-or-nothing, either-or, or black-and-white terms try seeing the shades of gray between the black and white. Practice being flexible in your thinking and finding middle-ground options in your behavior.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is choosing to be aware of this moment, on purpose, nonjudgmentally. When we are being mindful, we gather our attention and then choose to focus or concentrate it on what we want to observe or do.

In this moment, choose to focus your mind where you want it to be.

Perhaps you focus on your emotions, your thoughts, your bodily sensations, what you experience through your senses, or your surroundings.

Hold your attention there, being in that moment.

Distress Tolerance

Many people "cope" with stress and crisis by getting into behaviors that provide relief, but at a great cost. Examples of these ineffective behaviors include alcohol and substance use, self-injury, gambling, spending money, and overeating. As an alternative, we can learn and practice distress tolerance skills to manage stress and crisis in ways that help without having after effects that make our lives worse.

To start, make two lists. List one is your ineffective coping behaviors, and list two is your healthy coping behaviors (everyone has at least a few healthy coping behaviors). Your goal is to eliminate the behaviors on the first list while developing the behaviors on the second.

Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation skills decrease vulnerabilities to intense emotions, increase positive emotions, build a sense of confidence and competence, and allow people to act opposite to behaviors that keep them stuck in unwanted emotions.

Emotion regulation skills have both immediate and long-term benefits, and as such should be practiced each day. Contemplate how your life would improve with more balanced emotions.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

The practice of interpersonal effectiveness skills has three primary results:

1. An increase in your sense of self-respect.
2. An increase in your ability to make and take care of relationships.
3. An increase in getting your wants and needs met.

In dialectical behavior therapy, we have three acronyms that capture interpersonal skills: FAST, GIVE, and DEAR MAN. The cards in this section break down the acronyms into their components, with suggested practice behaviors.